I don’t want to cook. Really now, the Eat24 app has been my BFF for the last few weeks. Between Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and the long list of Holiday parties and events, I’ve been clocking some serious kitchen time. I LOVE cooking, but the weeknight dinners between those big feasts are starting to get to me, go figure. See, I am human. Don’t tell my kids.
As much as I’m not really into cooking at the moment, I can’t bear to feed my kids mac & cheese or pizza every other night. I’m sure you can imagine my kiddo’s dissapointment. In a perfect world, those items would be dripping with veggies, protein, vitamins and have magical powers to clean up after itself. Clearly that’s not happening anytime soon, at least not in my house.
That’s when the crockpot comes in. Oh yeah! Bring on the perfection of wintertime cooking. And by wintertime, I mean that it dropped below 85 degrees here in Miami. That, and there may or may not be several unnecessary sweaters ready to wear in my closet. A girl can dream can’t she?
I’ve experimented a lot with this recipe a lot over the years, and love this final version. It’s hearty, colorful and that tomato-based sauce has just the right amount of vinegar. I’ve made this with olives and capers, as well as a can of diced tomatoes and 2 fresh tomatoes. The verdict: all ways are delicious, make your life easier and use what you have.
I always make this the night before I’m going to make it, then store in the fridge until morning. Before I head out the door, I pop it in the heating element and leave on low for 10 hours. Nothing is better than walking in the door and having this as your welcome.
I always serve with rice and beans-my eldest won’t eat meat, so he has the rice, beans and sauce. When I get around to it, I’ll actually post a formal recipe for the rice and beans but until then…toss 1 can black beans with juice into a rice cooker, add 1 cup rice, 1 cup water, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp white or apple cider vinegar. Press the button and you’re done.
Have leftovers? Use them to cover some nachos, whip up some tacos or throw on some crusty french bread with pickled onions. Look at you making it through the week!
enjoy!
xx
turnips + tantrums team
Ropa Vieja
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lbs chuck roast
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes or 2 diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup green olives or capers
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 1 bay leave
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Make a bed of sliced bell peppers and sliced onions in the crockpot. Season chuck roast with salt and pepper, don’t be shy.
- Use a knife to make 4 small cuts into the roast, stuff garlic into each cut. Set roast over veggie bed.
- Pour tomato sauce and diced tomatoes over roast. Add olives, vinegar and seasoning. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on low for 10 hours. Shred meat with two forks. Serve with rice.
Nutrition
Recipe source: turnips + tantrums original
This looks great and I love that it’s easy.